Week Three As An Extension Intern! - by Makayla Kret

Here I am observing a dogbane beetle in the Chase- Lloyd Garden. 

This week was full of exciting projects and meetings. I had the opportunity to attend the Anne Arundel County Farm Bureau Meeting, the Annual Maryland Food Safety Network Planning Meeting, and the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District Meeting in June. The Annual Maryland Food Safety Network Planning Meeting was held at the Maryland Department of Agriculture in Annapolis. This meeting gave me a better understanding of what goes into food safety and how farmers are trained in different food safety practices. I learned so much about each program and enjoyed having the opportunity to attend these meetings. I enjoyed listening to the different opinions and points of view of others during these meetings. 

This week I visited the Chase- Lloyd House Master Gardener Project. This garden has endless amounts of beautiful flowers to look at. They also have some veggies growing in this garden like peas and peppers. We were given a personalized tour of the garden that included facts about each plant we looked at. I was able to learn about native plants and their benefits to wildlife. I am so grateful I was able to visit this garden and learn about their practices and the plants they have. This visit also gave me an understanding of what goes into gardening and the maintenance that it requires. 

This week I made the final changes to the Anne Arundel County Fair Book. After working on this project for the past few weeks, I learned that I can troubleshoot software issues well. I came across many technology and formatting issues as I was working through this project. I also helped organize 4-H camp paperwork for the camp coming up in July. I kept myself organized and the paperwork organized as I sorted through the different piles. I learned that I can keep myself organized and keep track of everything that I am working on well. I know this will help me not only in the rest of my time as an intern but with school and my career as well. 

I am enjoying my time at the Anne Arundel County office as an intern. I am so appreciative of the people I have met so far. I am enjoying the projects and tasks I have been working on. I am so excited to continue my summer with UME!

 Maryland Department of Agriculture Sign in Annapolis, Maryland, where the Annual Maryland Food Safety Network Planning Meeting took place.